CHEM 451 — Undergraduate Research

Chemistry 451, Undergraduate Research may be taken for 1, 2 or 3 credits.

It is- expected that the student will spend at least three times the number of hours per week doing research as the number of credits attempted.

Research is to be directed by a research advisor chosen from the research faculty in the Chemistry Department.

The selection of the research advisor by the student is one of mutual consent between the student and the faculty member.

The research should be on projects that have the potential for publication.

The student should review the safety procedures necessary for the project with their research advisor (see also Safety and Safety Education), as well as ethical behavior as it relates to laboratory research (see also Professional Ethics Supplement).

The student is expected to keep a complete and factual record of the research performed in a laboratory notebook. (A good guide to proper record keeping for laboratory notebooks may be found at Record Keeping Fact Sheet).

The research performed in Chemistry 451 will also be used as the basis for the student's seminar presentation for Chemistry 441, Undergraduate Seminar.

Students in Chemistry 451 are highly encouraged to perform a library search on their research project (including all online library resources such as Chemical Abstracts, WebSpirs, etc. See Physical Science 300 Syllabus).

The student must, at the end of the semester, turn in three copies of a research report to receive a grade. The format for the report should follow the American Chemical Society guidelines which are available from the research advisor or at Guidelines For Preparing a Research Report. The student is encouraged to use the research advisor as a resource while writing the research report. The research report should not be turned in without the approval of the research advisor.

Grading Policy

The grade will be assigned by the student's research advisor based upon the student's skill and expertise in the lab, command of the philosophy of the research project, and the quality of the research report.

Guide to Grading Policy

A	Exceeds one or more of expectations in quality of work or productivity.
B	Fulfilled all expectations, i.e, performed background literature search, experimental work, and wrote a research report that meets the guidelines established by the research advisor.
C	Deficient in one of the expectations listed above.
D	Deficient in more than one of the expectations listed above.
F	Deficient in all expectations listed above.

Students should visit the MSU webpage at http://www.mcneese.edu/policy/ diversity.htm for information about diversity awareness and sexual harassment policies and procedures.

ADA Statement: Students with impaired sensory, manual, or speaking skills are encouraged and have the responsibility to contact their instructor, in a timely fashion, regarding reasonable accommodation needs.